The Sundre peewee A Huskies triumphed during the squad's recent home tournament.
“We went undefeated and won,” said Coach Chris Craig.
The squad played four games, going on to take out the Okotoks Oilers 6-3 in the final to claim victory.
“We did excellent,” the coach said, adding the games were very competitive and that the Huskies all “worked really hard.”
They beat the Edmonton North Seera Grizzlies 3-1 in their first game. The Huskies then not only maintained their momentum but also even kicked it up a notch, going on to beat the Oilers 6-1 in the second game and also emerging victorious by a score of 7-1 against the Sherwood Park Hawks in the third game.
There were eight teams playing at the Sundre Arena from Dec. 9-11, including the Sundre peewee B team, which remained undaunted despite enduring an uphill battle.
“They were in pretty hard against the first two teams,” said Perry Smeets, the team's coach.
Because of the timing on scheduling for the tournament, invitations have to be sent to visiting teams before tiering rounds are even over. Since the peewee B Huskies were originally in tier 4 — they are now in tier 6 — they were up against some strong teams, he said.
“Their last game was really good,” he added.
Going up against an Edmonton-area team called the Whitemud Cobras for their third and final match, the peewee B Huskies held their own, coming up one goal shy for a 3-2 final, he said.
“It was probably their best game of the season (so far) — they played outstanding.”
Their first game of the tournament was against the Cochrane Rockies, who won 11-1. Their second match was against the Bassano Outlaws, who won 8-0.
Along with all the Sundre Minor Hockey Association's squads, the peewee teams are in the Central Alberta Hockey League.
As of last week, the peewee A squad, which is in tier 3, remained undefeated after playing four games. The Huskies have been demonstrating a lot of team effort, working well on passing plays and defence, said Craig, adding they have also been keeping up the pressure with some aggressive forechecking.
One of the main priorities during practice is to focus on endurance and conditioning, he said.
“We call it being a ‘third-period team' — we don't want to come up short.”
The peewee A Huskies are having a lot of fun and putting in a lot of effort, and the coach said he looks forward to the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, the peewee B Huskies have demonstrated a keen desire to learn, said Smeets.
“That's where their biggest strength is right now. At that age, they're like sponges and want to learn as much about the game as possible.”
The team only has five second-year players, with eight who are playing their first year with the squad. So the peewee B Huskies are on average a smaller squad, which makes a huge difference, the coach said, adding they have been playing well regardless.
“The boys are doing their best to get where they need to be,” he said, adding many of them have aspirations to pursue the sport professionally.
Fans have been supportive, with grandparents and friends showing up to cheer on the team whenever possible. Parents have also shown their devotion to the team and have not hesitated to drive wherever needed for their children to play, he said.
